Undergarment



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J. C. SANFORD.l

UNDERGARMBNT.

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J. C. SANFORD.

UNDBRGARMENT.

Patented Aug.. 4, 1896'.

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8 Sheets Sheet'l 3.

(No Model.)

J. C. SANFORD.

UNDERGARMENT.

00 Patented Aug. 4., 1896.

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UNITED; STATES' PATENT rricn.

JOHN C. SANFORD, OF COHOES, NEW YORK.

UNDERGARNI ENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 565,182, dated August 4, 1896. Application filed March 20, 1896. Serial No. 584,157. No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that l, JOHN O. SANFORD, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Oohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful lmprovements in 'Undergarments, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to underwear designed for ladies, gentlemen,and children,par ticularly that class of undergarments which are known as combination or union suits, wherein a shirt or vest and drawers or leg portions are knitted together or permanently united to form a continuous garment, although a part of. the present invention is designed for use in connection with knit-ted or other shirts or vests made separate or independent of the drawers or leg portions.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a newr and improved construction of the front of the shirt or vest, whereby access to the person is greatly facilitated, and when the front is open ample room is provided for putting on and taking off the garment, while the construction is such that the presence of buttons and other fastening devices on lines which fall across the bosom are entirely avoided, and when the front is closed it presents a neat, smooth, and attractive appearance, and will not permit the ready entrance of air or cold.

The invention also has for its object to improve that class of undergarments for ladies` gentlemen, and children ordinarily termed combination or union suits, whereby they can be more readily put on and taken off, and convenient and simple means are provided for access to the person at front and rear, the construction being such that freedom of action is permitted by the susceptibility of the material yielding to the required extent at the edges of the opening and closing parts, so that puckering is avoided and binding against the person is prevented, and the suit is in general made perfectly comfortable, and therefore very desirable in actual use.

The invention also has for its object to provide a vest or shirt for ladies, gentlemen, and children, wherein the entire bosom portion can be laid open and the top edge portion of the unslitted or solidly-knit body portion can be turned downward as a drop-Hap or lapel, to facilitate putting on and taking off the garment and to render it very convenient to gain access to the person for any purpose whatever.

The chief feature of the invention consists `in -a shirt or vest having the front of the breast portion divided into two bosom-flaps, adapted to fasten together at the center of the shirt or vest, and a drop-flap or lapel, forming an extension of the upper portion of the unslitted or solid body of the shirt or vest front, and constructed to lie under and to bc overlaid by the two bosom-flaps, but disconnected from and unattached to the bottoni edges of the bosom-flaps, which bottom edges diverge in a downward direction toward the sides of the shirt or vest body, so that these edges will lie below the bosom of the wearer and below the upper edges of the corset ordinarily worn, and thereby secure a perfectlyclosed front which is easy and comfortable and will not unduly press against or upon the bosom of the wearer, as will occur in prior known constructions,wherein the lower edges of the bosom-flaps diverge in an upward direction toward the slits, and consequently extend across the bosom to the discomfort of the wearer.

The invention also consists in a combination or union suit having the seat of the drawers or leg portions provided with a rear opening and a drop-flap adapted to close said opening and having two gussets at its lower end, which are inserted into and joined to the inner edge parts of the leg portions, said flap adapted to extend upward and to be detachably fastened at its upper end to the body of the garment at a point near the waist, but below the corsets, so that the drop-flap can be readily un fastened and dropped downward.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a combination or union suit embodying my invention and showing the bosom and front drop flaps in their closed positions. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the bosom and drop flaps in their open position. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the combination or union suit, showing the rear drop-flap in its open position;

IOO

and Fig. 4 is a detail rear elevation showing the drop-Hap in its closed position.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein- The numeral l indicates a shirt or vest, and 2 and 3 the drawers or leg portions thereof.

The shirt or vest and the drawers or leg portions are, in the present example of my invention, formed as a combination or union suit or a suit of that kind wherein the shirt or vest and the drawers or leg portions are knitted together to form an integral garment, as is well known.

The shirt or vest is provided with sleeves 4, and the entire garment is preferably composed of knitted goods, although it may be of any material suitable for the purpose and possessing the elastic or iieXible qualities necessary to make the garment susceptible of comfortable use for the purpose designed.

The front of the shirt or vest is formed with two bosom-flaps 5 and 6, which have their edges 7 and 8 adapted to be detachably buttoned or otherwise connected together on a line approximately coincident with the longitudinal center of the garment.

The shirt or vest is provided with any suitable neck-opening 9, and the lower edges 10 and 12 of the bosom-naps 5 and 6 diverge from the vertical edge portions 7 and 8 in a downward direction toward the sides of the shirt or vest, so that the lower edges of these bosomflaps will lie below the bosom of the wearer and not unduly press against or upon the same when the garment is worn and the corsets are tightened, as is usually the case.

The front 13 of the shirt or vest body is solid or unslitted, and its upper portion is extended vertically to constitute a drop-iiap or lapel 14, which is preferably of a V shape or formed with edges which incline from the center or apex of the flap or lapel in a downward direction toward the sides of the shirt or vest in a manner similar to the diverging lines on which the lower edges of the bosomflaps extend.

The drop-flap or lapel 14 is designed to lie under the bosom-flaps 5 and 6, so that these bosom-naps close over and upon the drop-flap or lapel, and thus enable the front of the shirt or vest to be entirely closed, so that air and cold are excluded, and a neat, smooth, and attractive finish is imparted to the garment when in use.

The downward-diverging lower edges 10 and 12 of the bosom-flaps 5 and 6 are entirely disconnected from the drop-iiap or lapel 14, except at the points 15 and 16, where the bosom-naps and the drop-Hap or lapel merge into thel body of the garment.

As shown in the drawings, the vertical edge 7 of the bosom-Hap 5 is provided with buttons, and the vertical edge 8 of the bosomiap 6 is provided with buttonholes, so that the two vertical edges of the bosom-flaps can be buttoned or unbuttoned, and the point or' connection is approximately central between the breasts of the wearer. It will be obvious, however, that instead of buttons and buttonholes any other suitable devices may be einployed for detachably connecting the vertical edges of the bosom-naps.

The bosom-flaps 5 and 6 are designed to be widely opened and the drop-flap 14 to be dropped downwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of facilitating access to the person for any purpose whatever, and also to enable the garment to be conveniently and expeditiously put on and taken off.

The construction and arrangement of the parts described and shown is such that little or no difficulty is encountered in the insertion of the arms into the sleeves when putting on the garment, and the same remarks apply when the garment is taken o.

The drop-nap or lapel 14 is susceptible of yielding horizontally, owing to the elastic nature of the goods when the garment is made of knitted material, and since the dimensions of the bosom-flaps are such that they overlie the upper edges of the drop-nap or lapel the front of the shirt or vest will be effectually closed when the bosom-naps are buttoned or otherwise fastened together.

The seat portion of the body 2 of the drawers is constructed with an opening 17. extending upward from the crotch, and directly above the top edge of the opening the seat portion of the body of the drawers is provided with buttons 18. The opening 17 is designed to be closed bya rear drop-nap 19, having buttonholes 20 for engaging the buttons 1S. The rear drop-iiap is provided with two pendent gussets 21, Fig. 4, which are inserted into and connected with the inner edges of the leg portions of the drawers, for the purpose of securing a fullness of material at these points, with the requisite elasticity or flexibility to meet all the conditions required to provide a comfortable and easywearing garment.

The rear drop-nap 19 is designed to be unbuttoned and dropped from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in full lines, Fig. 3, whenever required by the wearer. This rear flap is of somewhat narrow dimensions, so that it does not interfere with constructing the main body portion of the drawt ers in the usual manner of knitted material.

The two pendent gussets 21, connected with the rear drop-flap 19 and inserted into the inner sides of the leg portions 3, secure a fullness at these points which entirely avoids the possibility of binding and secure an elastic or yielding of the material, which permits perfect freedom of movements without any annoyance or discomfort.

The vertical edges 7 and 8 of the bosom or breast flaps 5 and 6 are elongated to enable them to lie between the breasts of the wearer and to be buttoned and unbuttoned. These vertical edges are preferably composed of strips of fabrio sewed to the laps.

The diverging lower edges 10 and 12 of the bosom or breast flaps 5 and 6 commence at the lower ends of the strips 6 and 7 and terminate at the points 15 and 1G, and therefore these diverging lower edges will lie below the bosom of the wearer, and are so constructed and are of such dimensions, as before stated, as to overlie the front drop-nap or lapel 14.-.

The edges of the neck-opening and bosom or breast flaps may be ornamented in any suitable manner, and, as regards these bosom or breast aps and the front drop-flap or lapel, my invention may be used in a shirt or vest alone without regard to the drawers or leg port-ions.

Having thus described my invention, what l' claim is- 1. A shirt or vest having the front of the vest portion divided into two bosom-flaps provided with vertically-arranged edges adapted to fasten together at the front of the shirt or vest, and a drop-nap or lapel forming an extension of the upper portion of the unslitted or solid body of the shirt or vest front and constructed to be overlapped by the two bosom-flaps but disconnected from and unattached thereto, said bosom-flaps having their lower edges diverging from said vertical edges in a downward direction toward the sides of the shirt or vest body and adapted to overlie the said drop-flap or lapel, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. A combination or union snit having the seat of the drawers or leg portions provided with a rear opening and a drop-flap adapted to cover said opening and having two gussets at its lower end which are inserted in and joined to the inner edge parts of the leg portions, said iap extending upward and detachably fastened at its upper end to the body of the garment at a point near the waist thereof, said drop-flap, when unfastened, dropping downward, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN C. SANFORD.

Vitnesses:

ALBERT H. NoRRrs, GEO. W. REA. 

